Tuesday, July 12, 2016

Some of the following is 100% original and some of it is complied from many different sources which have been lost over time. The Solomon Kane inspiration is completely my own take on Paladins.

IMC (current)
there is only one Lawful god but many Neutral and Chaotic gods. However, many
Neutral & Chaotic gods masquerade as Lawful. While all Paladins (and all
Clerics) worship the same god, there are many different types of Paladins with
different callings.

Some of the
things that all Paladins have in common, they are born not made. They all have
this thing going on from birth that leads them down the road to Paladin hood.
They all have visions from time to time. At the age of 13 they all (similar to
some rites of passage into manhood in some societies) go off for a fast and
vigil, where they wait for a vision to tell them the direction that their life
should take. There are specific creatures that appear in their visions and each
has a specific meaning.

Please note
that I am not going to list the specific meanings I have assigned. If you do a
bit of online research you can see what some of the Native American meanings
were; however, some of my younger players that play from time to time are on
the internet and I do not want to give too much away so I have assigned my own
meanings to the animal seen and you should too

.

I postulate
that the whole concept of Lawful (or Lawful Good) as we modern humans conceive
it out here in the RW and how deities in a multiple deity world would conceive
it allows for a wide range of variation. The way a lot of people view paladins
does a lot of injustice to the whole character class and results in a lot of
play that does not jib very well with the goal of everyone having a lot of fun
in the game. I find that the gritty version of a paladin is a lot more fun for
the player and for the group.

Some people
follow the test for Paladin behavior, called "WWSD?" This stands for
"What Would Superman Do?"

If you can
look at a morally questionable situation and you cannot imagine the Man of
Steel doing what you are contemplating, then it is probably not appropriate for
a Paladin. Using this test tends to clear up some of those cloudy situations.

Not a bad
rule of thumb, but I think it can be a bit over the top at times. After all
Superman has vowed not to kill IIRC. However what I prefer is a grittier
Paladin, a bit more Batman than Superman, kind of a mashup of the two.

Solomon Kane
(the Robert E Howard character and a paladin inspiration source) hates magic
for instance as it is only evil in his experience and his background
understanding of it. Yet he is pragmatic enough underneath the fanatic
rage/sense of justice that drives him that he allies himself with and accepts
the direct help of a pagan shaman that wields powerful magic in a couple of
stories.

Therefore, I
model my Paladins after Robert E. Howard's Solomon Kane. I read all I could
find many years ago, but about 10 years ago, I received a copy of The Savage
Tales of Solomon Kane The adventures of the Legendary Puritan Swordsman and
have really enjoyed reading it again after all these years along with some new
material not published before.

He was ... a
strange blending of Puritan and Cavalier, with a touch of the ancient
philosopher, and more than a touch of the pagan.... A hunger in his soul drove
him on and on, an urge to right all wrongs, protect all weaker things.... Wayward
and restless as the wind, he was consistent in only one respect - he was true
to his ideals of justice and right. Such was Solomon Kane.

A grim
avenger armed with a fanatic's faith and a warrior's savage heart.

All his life
he had roamed about the world aiding the weak and fighting oppression, he
neither knew nor questioned why. That was his obsession, his driving force of
life. Cruelty and tyranny to the weak sent a red blaze of fury, fierce and
lasting, through his soul. When the full flame of his hatred was wakened and
loosed there was no rest for him until his vengeance had been fulfilled to the
uttermost. If he thought of it at all, he considered himself the fulfiller of
God's judgement, a vessel of wrath to be emptied upon the souls of the
unrighteous. Yet in the full sense of the word, Solomon Kane was not a Puritan,
though he thought of himself as such.

Paladins
IMCWs have a number of influences, and I tend to view them as a dual subclass
of both the fighting man and the cleric classes.

I think I
have mentioned this elsewhere, but the Deed of Paksenarrion trilogy by
Elizabeth Moon has a very good depiction of a paladin - right down to getting a
warhorse at 4th level and everything! The other thing is, though, that she
seems to gain some levels as a fighter before being 'chosen' to be a paladin. I
only read this a few years ago.

The Pandion
Knights from David Eddings’ Elenium and Tamuli series of books are a good
example of a Paladin order, but they are not complete goody goody types, they
are very tough practical and pragmatic.

BTW This list
that follows is a starting point, if you applied all of it exactly and made the
PC toe the line, then it would be extremely difficult for the player to
maintain and it would tend to make them all cookie cutter characters; that is
why I use these as a starting point in my mind and a guide for the players, but
I allow a fair amount of leeway. For instance, I let them know if they are
moving close to crossing the line, I give them a lot of feedback and as noted
elsewhere, I have them read some of the books that I use as a reference and we
discuss beforehand what I accept and what I think is going too far. I take this
list and leaven it with toughness, pure grit, and pragmatism. In addition, as I
think I noted, I give each Paladin a focus on one or at most two of these and
those are the most important for that character with a bit more leeway on the
other items. I have found that makes it more fun for the player and the other
players. YMMV

Knightly
Virtues as exemplified by the Paladin.

Faith:

A Paladin
must have faith in his beliefs, for faith roots him and gives hope against the
despair that human failings create. Paladins must have faith in god's love and
righteousness and in the ultimate goodness of the innocent, to be loyal, true
and constant to anyone with whom he is associated; to conform to both the
letter and the spirit of any matter between himself and others and to be true
to his word at all times. The Paladin must be true to that which he believes
above all else, for with faith comes strength against every adversity and
reverse. Faith is the lifeblood of Courage and Nobility; without it, life has
no meaning. With faith, no force, not even death, can defeat a Paladin.

Courtesy:

Courtesy is
one of the virtues of Paladin hood. Courtesy and honesty are cornerstones of
the Orders of the Paladin. There are two great threats to courtesy. Those are
thoughtlessness and reaction to discourtesy, real or perceived. Guard well
against speech without thought. The true test of courtesy comes in attempting
courtesy in the face of rude, boorish, discourteous behavior. Always remember
that the discourtesy of others is an opportunity to test and proclaim your
virtue by successfully showing grace under the bond of courtesy in the face of
discourtesy.

Prowess:

To seek
excellence in all endeavors expected of a Paladin, martial and otherwise,
seeking strength to be used in the service of justice, rather than in personal
aggrandizement. Prowess is an oft taken for granted or forgotten virtue when
discussing the philosophy of the foundations of Paladin hood, but it must
remain pre-eminent. Paladin hood is by its very nature a military order and if
divorced from the honorable warrior and his code, it loses its force, its hold
and its meaning. The exercise of arms is necessary to maintain the Orders of Paladin
hood. Prowess at arms is one thing that your character cannot bring you, nor
can you will it to be. Your character and will; however, can bring you to the
persistence needed to learn the skills of arms and to be of the elite of all
fighting men, a Paladin.

Nobility:

This word is
sometimes confused with "entitlement" or "snobbishness" and
while that is true of some "nobles" not so with Paladins. In the
Paladin code, it conveys the importance of upholding ones convictions at all
times, especially when no one else is watching. Great stature of character can
be gained by always striving towards the ideal virtues and duties of a Paladin,
which ennobles the spirit, and the character grows from dust towards the
heavens. Nobility has the tendency to influence others by offering a compelling
example of what can be done in the service of right. While a man may be
ennobled by a King, the soul can only be ennobled by living according to
standards higher and purer than those of the common man. To achieve the
Chivalrous Ideal is not possible, but the very striving uplifts the spirit,
purifies the soul and marks the true Paladin.

Humility:

A Paladin
values first the contributions of others and does not boast of his own
accomplishments, leaving boasting to others. Tell the deeds of others before
your own, according them the renown rightfully earned through virtuous deeds.
In this way, the office of Paladin is well done and glorified, helping not only
the gentle spoken of but also all who call themselves paladins. Humility is to
not have inconsistent pride or arrogance, but to be modest in one's demeanor
without being servile, to have a spirit that acknowledges the truth, whether is
it in one's favor or against one. The Paladin that looks upon his life without
evasion, or self-deception and exercises the virtue of Truth will surely be
humbled by the vast gulf that lies between the Chivalrous Ideal and the reality
of what is. Thus chastened, the Paladin will surely avoid the error of pride.

Excellence:

The Paladin
strives always to do and be his best, no matter what the area of endeavor. They
do so not for pride's sake, but rather to infuse even the most mundane task
with nobility and thus uplift them. Excellence is its own reward; however, it
is the path of self-respect and the respect of others.

Charity:

Sharing what
is valuable in this life means much more than the giving away or the sharing of
materials goods such as, food, shelter and clothing; true generosity means also
the giving away or sharing of our time, our focused attention, wisdom and
energy. These things are those that help to build and create a strong and rich
community of the heart and spirit. A Paladin will seek to aid those in need,
giving succor and assistance to such as may be in need of it, giving as his
means permit, and without ostentation or display. True charity includes things
such as, a word of encouragement which can mean more than gold, and a friendly
ear more than gems and jewels. The spirit of Charity may cause a Paladin to
forgive a wrong done himself, if the act is truly repented. Charity will help a
Paladin to avoid the twin errors of gluttony and greed. Charity, this
generosity of spirit also paves the path of mercy and makes that path easier to
tread with a difficult decision of justice is required.

Loyalty:

A Paladin is
known for the unwavering commitment to the innocent and to the ideals that he
chooses to live by. There are many places that compromise is expected; however,
loyalty is not amongst them. Loyalty is the brother and sister of Honor. When
once a Paladin has made a commitment, let him never waiver or withdraw;
however, realizing that a Paladin does not compromise his loyalty, let
commitments not be made lightly or rashly, but only after deep contemplation
and prayer.

Courage:

Courage is neither
bravado nor bluster; the Paladin must have the courage, the fortitude of heart
necessary to undertake tasks, which are difficult, tedious or unglamorous,
dangerous and deadly, and to graciously accept the sacrifices involved. Being a
paladin often means choosing the more difficult path, the personally expensive
one, be prepared to make personal sacrifices in the service of the precepts you
believe and the innocents that you value. At the same time, the paladin should
seek wisdom for stupidity is the sinister cousin of courage and the paladin
must be able to correctly discern between the two. Courage means taking the
side of truth in all matters, rather than seeking the expedience of the lie.
Seek the truth at all times, but remember to temper justice with mercy or the
pure truth can bring grief. The Paladin is charged with the duty of fighting
for the right and for good, and is thus destined to face many opponents. The
battles may be of the body and the dangers faced by the Paladin my usually be
physical, but courage is as greatly in demand and even more important with the
subtle opponent of the mind or the spirit. Whatever the circumstances the
Paladin must always, face the enemy with valor.

Truth:

Truth is the
foundation of virtue. To be truthful is to be genuine, free, and constant in
keeping promises and being loyal to friends, ones liege and especially to ones
God. To be truthful is to be honest and conforming to law, justice and to live
truly and to govern one’s life according to the truth. One who seeks out the
truth within himself will surely develop other virtues, such as justice,
courage, strength, and humility. Without truth, there is no light, but rather
the spiritual darkness of self-delusion and self-deception, which must surely
lead to other vices. Seek truth as sincerely as possible, not for any reason of
personal gain, but because it is right. Do not restrict your exploration to a
small world, but seek to infuse every aspect of your life with truth and all of
the qualities of a Paladin. Should you succeed in even a tiny measure, then you
will be well remembered for your quality and your virtue.

Honor:

To be truly
honorable is to have a true sense of what is right, just and true and to have a
true sense of what is wrong, unjust and false. To be truly honorable is to
abhor those things that are vile and mean-spirited and to venerate that which
is good, lawful and true. The standard against which we measure ourselves, and
are measured by others. It is a treasure which if kept grows in value, but once
squandered can never be regained. The Paladin’s word must be more certain and
sure than any written contract. Moreover, let every Paladin consider carefully
before making any Oath, and never do so lightly or without due reflection; but
rather let him strive to fulfill every Oath undertaken or stand forever bereft
of honor.

Justice:

A Paladin
holds himself or herself to the highest standards of behavior, and knows that
the little things are just as important as the big things. Seek always the path
of "right,” unfettered by personal bias or self-interest. Remember always
that the sword of justice can be a terrible thing, so it must be tempered with
mercy. It is the Paladin’s duty to protect the innocent from harm and to punish
the guilty. Fulfillment of this duty often requires physical combat; but
battles fought differently are no less important. In all areas of life, the
Paladin must strive so far as possible to fight injustice and help the right
prevail. A Paladin must seek out the path of "right" without giving
in to the temptation of expediency, then you will earn renown and honor beyond
measure. Justice acts in conformance with what is right and renders unto all
their due. Justice is equitable, upright, impartial, and fair and always
conforms to the principles of justice in dealing with others. A Paladin knows
how to make the hard choices.

Truth:

Truth is the
foundation of virtue. To be truthful is to be genuine, free, and constant in
keeping promises and being loyal to friends, ones liege and especially to ones
God. To be truthful is to be honest and conforming to law, justice and to live
truly and to govern one’s life according to the truth. One who seeks out the
truth within himself will surely develop other virtues, such as justice,
courage, strength, and humility. Without truth, there is no light, but rather
the spiritual darkness of self-delusion and self-deception, which must surely
lead to other vices. Seek truth as sincerely as possible, not for any reason of
personal gain, but because it is right. Do not restrict your exploration to a
small world, but seek to infuse every aspect of your life with truth and all of
the qualities of a Paladin. Should you succeed in even a tiny measure, then you
will be well remembered for your quality and your virtue.

Honor:

To be truly
honorable is to have a true sense of what is right, just and true and to have a
true sense of what is wrong, unjust and false. To be truly honorable is to
abhor those things that are vile and mean-spirited and to venerate that which
is good, lawful and true. The standard against which we measure ourselves, and
are measured by others. It is a treasure which if kept grows in value, but once
squandered can never be regained. The Paladin’s word must be more certain and
sure than any written contract. In addition, let every Paladin consider
carefully before making any Oath, and never do so lightly or without due
reflection; but rather let him strive to fulfill every Oath undertaken or stand
forever bereft of honor.

Justice:

A Paladin
holds himself or herself to the highest standards of behavior, and knows that
the little things are just as important as the big things. Seek always the path
of "right,” unfettered by personal bias or self-interest. Remember always
that the sword of justice can be a terrible thing, so it must be tempered with
mercy. It is the Paladin’s duty to protect the innocent from harm and to punish
the guilty. Fulfillment of this duty often requires physical combat; but
battles fought differently are no less important. In all areas of life, the
Paladin must strive so far as possible to fight injustice and help the right
prevail. A Paladin must seek out the path of "right" without giving
in to the temptation of expediency, then you will earn renown and honor beyond
measure. Justice acts in conformance with what is right and renders unto all
their due. Justice is equitable, upright, impartial, and fair and always
conforms to the principles of justice in dealing with others. A Paladin knows
how to make the hard choices.

Additional
ones that I have not yet expanded on, but perhaps should be considered:
Chivalry, Chastity, Compassion, Determination, Diligence, Endurance,
Forgiveness, Good Cheer, Helpfulness, Honesty, Hope, Kindness, Patience,
Perseverance, Piety, Prudence, Sincerity, Temperance, Wisdom, Valor. I think
most of these are included in my detailed list under one item or another or
some like Chastity or Temperance, I would not want to bind on Paladins IMC
anyway. Although of course, you are free to do so if you want to.

It is a brutal campaign; we do not pull punches or fudge
rolls. I know many people have a problem with the death toll and their players
would rebel if they died that often. We were in our mid-30's when we started
playing Chainmail fantasy and late 30's when we started playing OD&D.
Character death is not a failure, it is a learning experience. What many people
call Meta gaming is just smart play.

Here is what OD&D says in the
Introduction in Men & Magic:

…and keep the rules nearby as you play. A quick check of
some rule or table may, bring hidden treasure or save your game "life.”

OD&D assumed that you as a player knew everything there
was to know about the rules and the game world that was available to know, hence
the house ruling nature of the game to keep it fresh.

A little bit of quick advice for new players:

1.Do
not depend on the dice to get you out of a jam, because they will let you down;
instead learn to anticipate and avoid being in a jam.

2.Be
familiar with what your character can do, especially Magic-Users and Clerics,
know your spells and the details of what they do and learn what ones are the best
to take for any given situation.

3.Always
know what equipment you have with you and what magic you may have and what it
does. Do not die because you forgot you had something with you that could have
saved your life. Know the limitations of magic and magic items.

4.Learn
about the intelligence of the monsters you face and their strengths and
weaknesses. Also be aware that monsters in widely separated places may not be
identical in these things and that differences in appearances from the ones you
are used to are likely different in other ways too.

5.Learn
to minimize personal risk for yourself and for the group. Always remember that
you are a team and have each other’s back.

6.Remember
that you will develop a reputation, you are not anonymous, and if you never
show any mercy or forbearance, you will never receive it.

7.Death
happens, TPKs happen, dying is part of living, get over it. No moping around,
roll a new character so the ref can work you back into the game.

8.Always
remember that the bad guys do not fight fair. Only Paladins and the best of the
Clerics fight fair, everyone else usually uses any trick or advantage they can.

9.Create
allies and do not create enemies when you do not have too.

10.Remember
you are out to explore and garner treasure. Combat will come to you more often
than you want, so do not seek out combat when you can avoid it. Staying alive
will be tough enough as it is.

11.To
maximize fun, and maintain harmony in your group, do not stab your fellow
players in the back; they will make you regret it.

12.Remember
it is not about how many monsters you kill; it is about coming back alive.
Hopefully you are coming back alive with new knowledge and treasure, but above
all make it back alive.

13.When
the ref says, “Are you sure that’s what you want to do?” be sure and pay
attention, it will save your life.

Sunday, July 10, 2016

I have four OD&D campaigns that share the same planet.
The main campaign is called the Tarrozian Campaign and it is the most deadly of
the four. The other three are more starter campaigns than anything else; they
are where children and new players start.

I started the world from the bottom up and that is all I did
for several years. Then I decided to do a little bit of top down just to define
where we were. So what we have is a planet with an earthlike climate and
gravity, but the surface area of Jupiter. (just keep thinking, "magic
makes it work this way.” I played around with a few very rough sketches of the
planetary surface and defined that the four campaigns are a long ways off from
each other, a very long way. Even though we are now in the 45th (real world)
year of the campaign and over 3800 game sessions in the campaign only a
fraction of the world has been mapped or explored. We like it that way, knowing
that there is really a vast unknown out there.

*************************

Here is a little bit about one of the things IMC where there
was a diversion from the main campaign.

The players decided that they wanted me to start them out in
a completely new area of the world, so they had no map, info, or anything and
had to find out everything about where they were. At the time they had mostly
4th & 5th level characters with a 6th level magic-users IIRC. They told me
this as we were starting a regular gaming session, so I told them I would think
about it and have something completely new for them soon. And we started our
game. They headed out and traveled to the dungeon that they were making their
forays into and as they entered the first new room that they hadn't been in yet
the door slammed shut behind them the room went pitch black and spun around
holding them tight to the walls as it spun faster and faster and then the bottom
dropped away from their feet (yeah, just like the carnival ride), then as it
slowed down they started to fall and landed in the middle of a field in bright
sunlight at sunrise. (I.e. they were a long ways to the west of where they
were)

Well they spent a few days of game time getting acclimated
to the area, which was complicated by a bit of a language barrier, which they
had to overcome. They also were taken a ride on converting their money to local
currency. They gradually learned about a massive ruin that was about a 2-day
journey away to the southwest that no one ever returned from. They decided to
go look anyway.

When they arrived, they found a ruin that was about a mile
on a side, it was an enormous pile of rubble and as they searched, they found
the remains of four city gates, one at the center of each side and a path that
led into the ruins. Each path was similar and it was narrow with rubble piled
high on each side. They picked one to try and as they crossed into the ruin
onto the path, instead of seeing a path that looked like it had had some recent
use, it changed to a path with deep piled dust that looked untouched for
centuries. The rubble was covered with dust. This was quite odd since outside
the ruins there had been recent rain, since they arrived, but the ruins, which
looked weathered from the outside, looked untouched by the weather from the
inside. They found through trying that they could not leave the path, well they
could but it was like moving through cold molasses there was so much resistance
to moving. They went in a little way and decided that they would go back
outside camp and start in in the morning.

That is when they discovered that they could not leave
because as they moved back toward the outside they begin to age. They first
realized this when they started getting weaker and they noticed that each
other’s hair was going grey at a rapid pace. They moved back toward the center
and this reversed itself. They then saw that they had no choice at this point
and set out toward the center.

(for anyone crying railroad, it is just giving them what
they asked for, something completely new.)

As they continued towards the center the dust became
progressively thinner until eventually it disappeared altogether. They tried
turning back several times each time with the same results. They also continued
to try to leave the path, especially after they barely survived several traps
along the way, but could not do so. They also noticed when they looked at the
sky that the sun flickered and seemed to move rapidly back and forth (not in
the east-west direction but in the north-south direction. As they traveled
further down the path it finally seemed that the sun was one solid sun several
suns in width. They were unable to tell the passage of time as the sun (aside
from its weird side-to-side movement) seemed to stay in the same place in the
sky and not move. Nevertheless, as the traveled down the path they had to stop
and eat many times, even though they did not grow sleepy or excessively tired.
Even rationing the water, they were growing concerned about running out.

As they drew nearer to the center and rounded the last
corner they could see a ruined tower in the center as they moved toward it, it
started to become less ruined in appearance. In addition, the ruins around them
started to look fresher and fresher as they went.

As they drew nearer to the center, they started to be able
to smell smoke and hear the screams of women, the crying children, the shouts
of men, and the shouts of the invaders. They began to see shadows of people all
around them and things grew more visible as they continued.

They stopped several times studying everything they could
see, and trying to plan for whatever was going to happen. They were a few feet
from the where the path entered a large courtyard around the tower and they
could see that it appeared to end at the courtyard.

They finally got to just outside the courtyard and stopping
for a moment they made final arrangements and then stepped thorough into the
courtyard and immediately stumbled over a huge pile of dead bodies, not of the
defenders of the city or the invaders but men dressed as they were from their
time, and before, hundreds of bodies (they realized) of all the adventurers
that had proceeded them. All around the pile of the dead was another circle of
the dead invaders that had fought these other-time arrivals. Several score of
invaders guarded the base of the tower, a score of these invaders were
struggling towards them over all the bodies, and they immediately retreated
toward a wall and then back down the street that had replaced the path they had
just traversed. The noise was deafening, with screams and shouts. Over it all,
they heard a loud chant in an unknown tongue that the magic-users in the group
recognized as a spell being cast. It seemed to come from the tower.

They hotfooted it around a corner and down an alley. It was
chaos all around them. They made it several streets further from the center and
then they saw a women furtively slipping along and just as she was entering a
building a few invaders appeared (the invaders are at this point an unknown
humanoid that seemed to be a strange mixture of reptile, insect and mammal)and
quickly entered the same building.

They decided to follow them into the building and moving
rapidly they entered the building and with all the noise where able to slip up
behind the invaders and kill them. In the process of doing this, they freed the
women whom the invaders had just captured. While a couple of the group secured
and watched the doors, the two with the greatest charisma bowed deeply to the
women and tried conversing with her. However, they were unable to find any
language in common. Therefore, they resorted to sign language to try to ask her
some questions, but after looking very doubtful and ill at ease, she then
seemed to come to a decision and relax after no one tried to touch her.

She then signed for them to follow her and led them to a
lower level and a secret door. They all followed her in and lighting a torch
found several women and children. The women, a redhead, pointed to herself and
they traded names, after this Taibiatonia (or Red for short) led them through
passages sometimes down and sometimes up, a long twisting route. They often
heard shouts and the clash of arms in the distance. Once they came face to face
with a few invaders and rushed to close with them. They killed the invaders but
not before sustaining several wounds among them. These were bound in a hurry
and they continued along.

Red led them along and then she signed for quiet and for
people to wait and slipped ahead, the stealthiest member of the group went with
her and when they came back he told the rest of the group that they way out was
blocked by a group of invaders and it looked like there were too many to fight
our way thorough, but Red signed for everyone to follow her and after back
tracking a little she led them out a different way. After passing through a
choke point, the way started up at a steady angle. They walked like this for
some time until the floor leveled out and led to a wall.

Red went to this wall and tripped a mechanism and it opened
out of the side of a hill into a wooded glen. They closed it back and hid it
again as best they could. She led them another mile to a hidden shelter and
there they stopped. After eating and setting up watches they were looking back
toward the city where it glowed way in the distance (and at a much lower
elevation) from the fires and then all of a sudden there was a kind of pulse
and then the city went completely dark. A few minutes later a terribly loud
shattering sound was heard.

The senior magic-user stated that the spell that was being
cast must have been completed and it probably explained all that had happened
to the group since they had entered the ruins.

We played out about 50 game years (these characters and
their children) in this new campaign area at the rate of about every other
gaming session. They eventually learned the language and the lay of the land,
about the invaders, married, had children and accepted that they were not going
home. By the time, they reached the 11th-12th level they were able to inflict
some major defeats on the invaders and drive them from the land by continuous
guerrilla warfare, a lot of luck and by stealing some of the invaders magic.
Eventually they were able to neutralize the spell on the ruins so that no one
else would be trapped in the past and they were able to release hundreds of
women and children that were trapped in their hidey-holes in stasis. The
original characters were able to retire and then played on in this part of the
world as some of the children and other characters. These later characters were
quite bold and a number of TPKs occurred as they adventured far and wide.

They were eventually able to estimate (i.e. get enough hints
out of me) that they had went back in time about 2500 years.